Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-15
WHERE CUSTER FELL.
The Scene Of the Terribly Disastrous
Fight of the Little Big
Horn.
Story of the Fight as Told by Chief
Gall and His Indians-Sitting
Bull Not There.

the New York World. There car
hardly be sadder, lonelier, or more
dreary-looking spot in all the United
States. A worn and weather-beatel
monument crowns the highest point OF
the battle field. The shaft is rapidly
disintegrating under the combined in.
huences of burning sun, driving rains,
winter storms and whitening winds.
This part OF the valley of the Little
Horn River, which was the scene Of
the disaster of June %, 1876, is about
fourteen m les above Fort Custer, on
the right and left banks of the clear
Lesser Horn, as it winds down through
the valley from the Zig Horn range.
1t was i, hap-hazard selection for q
battle-ground, and slightly more favor
able to the soldiers than to the red men,
otherwise, instead of Mai. Reno and his
handful Of men escaping after a ter
ribly close conflict. in which defeat
meant humiliation and nothing else,
not one man would have been lett alive
to tell the terrible story of that dread
full June day. [ have had exceptional
opportunities for arriving at the truth
concerning the massacre, and 1 am
convinced that neither the reds nor
the whites knew what they We're about
when the battle was begun. General
Custer knew that large and power
full Indian village was over in the I it.
tie Horn Valley somewhere, and he
determined, with rare pluck though
extreme rashness, to attack that viii
lage in his usual pell-mell st,le, de-
pending upon dash and discipline to
carry him through in spite of the force
OF numbers opposed to him. Custer
made his first mistake when he divided
his forces. With less than $40 men he
attempted to do what would have re-
| quired four or five regiments united
and in mass. Even with all his force
together and making swoop down
upon the great village the chances
were hundred to one that he woald
be whipped anyhow, and badly. too.
The Indian camp was on the left
side of the Little Horn River, extend
ing mp and down the stream. in q
lovely, fertile bottom, covered with
rich heritage and luxuriant grasses,
and occupying an area fully three miles
in length by half mile in width.
When one considers the size of this
camp, close packed with lodges, tepees
and wicklups, he can form some idea
OF the population it contained 1t must
be remembered, too, that every red
skin in tribc-bucks, squaws, bows.
maidens, and all except the papooses
/ docs his or her level best at fighting
when attacked by the enemy. So Il
was with Sitting Bulls village in the
Little Horn Valley. When the brave
cavalry leader swept down on the In
dia with his usual dash and elan, he
was not checked by bullets OF arrows;
no want of courage caused him to pause
OF falter, but simply mass of numbers
got in his way, beat him back step by
step, Notwithstanding the leaden hail
poured into the savages from the cav
airy carbnes, and finally overpowered
and killed every white man after the
ammunition of the latter had been en-
hausted. Clusters men fought all they
could, fired shot after shot with telling
effect, but all to 10 purpose.
Indians who were in that fight have
told me some strange stories. Sitting
Bull was not in the fight at all. Gall
was the big chief and generalissimo of
the day, and while he was leading the
bucks and directing the engagement
old Tonka-te-Tonka (sitting Bulb was
back in his medicine lodge making
medicine. AS the Indians won and
Sitting Bull made the medicine he. Of
course, got all the credit for the VIC
tory: One of the Indians says that the
shells got stuck in the white mems
carbines, and when those weapons were
thus rendered useless as firearms the
poor fellows, pressed to the wall and
overpowered ten to one, dubbed their
guns and fought desperately, with
death staring them in the face. until
the last doomed man fell in lis tracks.
hen the ammunition was exhausted
the Indians walked up, knocked them
down with clubs and butchered them
with hatchets. Gall told me that the
main object Of his young men was to
stampede the horses, which carried the
saddle-pockets in which each soldier
had stored his ammunition. Tha
troopers had, perhaps, fifty rounds
apiece on their persons, but the
main supply was in the saddle-bar
being entirely too heavy to carry
on the body. In all, the soldiers were
supplied with about 200 rounds per
man for the fight. When the cavalry
men were dismounted to fight on foot
one soldier was detailed to hold every
eight horses. Gall says he quickly saw
the advantage to be gained could the |
horses laden with ammunition be STAN.
peded, SO he devised a plan to that |
end: He sent score or two of youno
bucks up rayine to the rear. and
these embroyo warriors, unmindftl Of
flying lead and the danger of tie Job
suddenly rose up with yells and shouts
Just IN front Of the horses, swung their
blankets wildly in the air, and every
5 seed in the outfit broke loose from The
holders and scampered down the 70,
vine toward the Little Horn. whera
they were gathered in by the souaws
ana ola men, on the wait for Just what
mad occurred. Many of the Indians
were armed with cavalry carbines and
on!ted States muskets, so this yerV
ammunition was turned against Custer
.lna ms men, and no doubt had verv
OF the day. viz 'oi'uiles
q. another Indian says that one soldier
'ile last survivor OF his slain comrades